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arulers of china Tell them that the Communist Party must control Taiwan to make the whole country safe and strong. “Unification brings strength, but division brings chaos,” China’s State Council said. “This is a law of history.”
In reality, the Party’s obsession with Taiwan is a political choice. Since 1991, China has signed a series of treaties fixing its borders with the Soviet Union and Russia, effectively ceding more than 1 million square kilometers of Chinese territory occupied by Russia in the 19th century. There was no historical law that prohibited the decision to forget past mistakes.
Taiwan is different because it represents a direct insult to the Communist Party. Its origins date back to his 1949, when the island became a place of exile for the Kuomintang government defeated by Mao Zedong and the People’s Liberation Army (People’s Liberation Army) in the Chinese Civil War. If Xi Jinping were able to capture Taiwan, he would be the ultimate victor of the war that Mao Zedong was unable to end. By contrast, Chinese scholars argue that taking the island out of Chinese hands would undermine the party’s legitimacy.
Political self-interest thus explains decades of investment in building society. People’s Liberation Army, which focuses on stopping the United States from rescuing the island. It also describes threats to use force if Taiwan declares formal independence. Those are political calculations. They are making the world more dangerous than it needs to be.
Still, there is perhaps another selfish choice by Chinese leaders to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. That choice has been instigated by the United States, Japan, and other hostile foreign powers, although most Taiwanese aspire to become part of China, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. This includes telling the Chinese people that they are being stopped by separatists. This is Gambit. As long as many ordinary Chinese believe that Taiwan might one day embrace “peaceful reunification,” Mr. Xi has more room to maneuver.
We’ve seen this tactic work since Taiwan’s January 13 presidential election, in which Lai Ching-de, whose party had the lowest approval ratings, won. Mr. Rei’s victory marks the Democratic Progressive Party’s third consecutive presidential term (DPP), emphasizing Taiwan’s independent and democratic identity. However, since that victory, mainland propaganda outlets have downplayed its importance and exaggerated its significance. DPPHis performance in the parliamentary elections held on the same day was poor. Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the China Taiwan Affairs Office, assured the Chinese people that this election shows that: DPP In Taiwan, it “does not represent mainstream public opinion.” Far from stirring up anger, party media dug up Xi’s past placating statements about the need to win over “patriotic” pro-unification forces on the island.
It’s unclear how angry the Chinese people are prepared to be, after years of being told that most Taiwanese are blood brothers. Researchers from South China University of Technology and the National University of Singapore surveyed Chinese people in nine cities in 2019 and found that about 40% were willing to deny reunification of Taiwan and the mainland by force under any circumstances. There was found.
paper for Modern China JournalThe report, published in 2022, surprised survey organizers by finding that support for continuing to use force as an option was highest among people who are well-educated and knowledgeable about Taiwan. recorded. Lead author Chi Dongtao said that savvy Chinese people are not war hawks per se, but may simply be more aware than the average person that Taiwan is not willing to peacefully submit to the Chinese government. Suggests.
Chaseki flew south to Xiamen to get a feel for the post-election atmosphere. This Chinese port city has close economic and cultural ties to Taiwan, and would likely be on the front lines in a war. That reminder is the Hulishian Fortress, whose weathered cannons are pointed at Kinmen Island, a remote Taiwanese island just 27 kilometers (17 miles) offshore. In the era of Mao Zedong, People’s Liberation Army Jinmen with its shell removed. This fort served as a military radio base. It is now a museum, catering to tourists who used to tend to flee when asked political questions. Those who stayed there provided an amazing variety of opinions.
Strolling along the beach below the citadel, a middle-aged woman from Tianjin expressed confidence that most Taiwanese people support reunification. Although she didn’t know her election results, she recently saw online reports about islanders traveling to an ice festival in the city of Harbin in China’s frozen north. “We should encourage this kind of contact,” she enthused. That said, she also supported the threat of force as an option, and she argued that the Chinese leadership’s “toughness” needed to be balanced with “tenderness” toward the Taiwanese people.
Talk about war and peace at the fort
Atop the fort, a retired man from the coastal city of Ningbo stood in the mist taking photos of Jinmen. The photographer revealed that his own father served in the Chinese Navy and was killed in action in the Taiwan Strait in the late 1960s. The loss of his family makes him yearn for peace, he said, adding that for Taiwan to choose unification, China needs to become more attractive economically, politically and culturally. However, his patience coexists with his belief that power cannot be eliminated. “If you promise to completely renounce the threat of force, and you do that in front of the world, then the island just declares independence, right?” he asked.
University students in Shanghai see Lai’s victory as a sign of trouble ahead, but insist the election is the will of Taiwanese voters. “Few people in my generation want war. On the other hand, some older people may be hopeful that one day they will be able to take back Taiwan by force.” he was worried.
The student was not wrong. The former Jiangsu local official, who will turn 85 next month, was spotted climbing the fort’s stone steps with his granddaughter. Every place wants to be ruled by its own king, he declared, and Taiwan has been separated for too long. “We must reunify Taiwan by force.” Indeed, if People’s Liberation Army If they didn’t have the power, Britain wouldn’t have given Hong Kong back, the old man added with a glare. Having laid down the laws of history, he marched on. ■
Read more from China columnist Chaguan:
Nostalgia for China’s boom years drives TV hit (January 11)
For China, Taiwan’s election is an imminent crisis (January 4)
Why Chinese rulers fear Genghis Khan (December 20)
Also: Origin of the name of Chakan Pillar